Labor Cases

LABOR CASES | MIDTERMS | ATTY WARREN | AUSL

Antonio Serrano vs Galang GR 167694 MARCH 24, 2009

Republic of the PhilippinesSupreme CourtManila

EN BANC

ANTONIO M. SERRANO, G.R. No. 167614 Petitioner,

Present:PUNO, C.J.,QUISUMBING,YNARES-SANTIAGO,CARPIO,AUSTRIA-MARTINEZ,

- versus - CORONA,CARPIO MORALES,TINGA,CHICO-NAZARIO,VELASCO, Jr.,NACHURA,LEONARDO-DE CASTRO,BRION, and

GALLANT MARITIME SERVICES, PERALTA, JJ.INC. and MARLOW NAVIGATIONCO., INC., Promulgated: Respondents. March 24, 2009

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - xD E C I S I O N AUSTRIA-MARTINEZ, J.:

For decades, the toil of solitary migrants has helped lift entire families and communities out of poverty. Their earnings have built houses, provided health care, equipped schools and planted the seeds of businesses. They have woven together the world by transmitting ideas and knowledge from country to country. They have provided the dynamic human link between cultures, societies and economies. Yet, only recently have we begun to understand not only how much international migration impacts development, but how smart public policies can magnify this effect.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

Global Forum on Migration and DevelopmentBrussels, July 10, 2007[1]

For Antonio Serrano (petitioner), a Filipino seafarer, the last clause in the 5 th paragraph of Section

10, Republic Act (R.A.) No. 8042,[2] to wit:

Sec. 10. Money Claims. - x x x In case of termination of overseas employment without just, valid or authorized cause as defined by law or contract, the workers shall be entitled to the full reimbursement of his placement fee with interest of twelve percent (12%) per annum, plus his salaries for the unexpired portion of his employment contract or for three (3) months for every year of the unexpired term, whichever is less. x x x x (Emphasis and underscoring supplied)

does not magnify the contributions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to national development, but

exacerbates the hardships borne by them by unduly limiting their entitlement in case of illegal dismissal to

their lump-sum salary either for the unexpired portion of their employment contract “or for three months

for every year of the unexpired term, whichever is less” (subject clause). Petitioner claims that the last

clause violates the OFWs' constitutional rights in that it impairs the terms of their contract, deprives them

of equal protection and denies them due process.

By way of Petition for Review under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court, petitioner assails the December

8, 2004 Decision[3] and April 1, 2005 Resolution[4] of the Court of Appeals (CA), which applied the subject

clause, entreating this Court to declare the subject clause unconstitutional.

Petitioner was hired by Gallant Maritime Services, Inc. and Marlow Navigation Co., Ltd.

(respondents) under a Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)-approved Contract of

Employment with the following terms and conditions:Duration of contract 12 months

Position Chief Officer Basic monthly salary US$1,400.00

Hours of work 48.0 hours per week Overtime US$700.00 per month Vacation leave with pay 7.00 days per month[5]

On March 19, 1998, the date of his departure, petitioner was constrained to accept a downgraded

employment contract for the position of Second Officer with a monthly salary of US$1,000.00, upon the

assurance and representation of respondents that he would be made Chief Officer by the end of April 1998.[6]

Respondents did not deliver on their promise to make petitioner Chief Officer. [7] Hence,

petitioner refused to stay on as Second Officer and was repatriated to the Philippines on May 26, 1998.[8]

Petitioner's employment contract was for a period of 12 months or from March 19, 1998 up to

March 19, 1999, but at the time of his repatriation on May 26, 1998, he had served only two (2) months and

seven (7) days of his contract, leaving an unexpired portion of nine (9) months and twenty-three (23)

days.

Petitioner filed with the Labor Arbiter (LA) a Complaint[9] against respondents for constructive

dismissal and for payment of his money claims in the total amount of US$26,442.73, broken down as

follows:

May 27/31, 1998 (5 days) incl. Leave pay

US$ 413.90

June 01/30, 1998 2,590.00July 01/31, 1998 2,590.00August 01/31, 1998 2,590.00Sept. 01/30, 1998 2,590.00Oct. 01/31, 1998 2,590.00Nov. 01/30, 1998 2,590.00Dec. 01/31, 1998 2,590.00Jan. 01/31, 1999 2,590.00Feb. 01/28, 1999 2,590.00Mar. 1/19, 1999 (19 days) incl. leave pay

1,640.00

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25,382.23

Amount adjusted to chief mate's salary(March 19/31, 1998 to April 1/30, 1998) +

1,060.50[10]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TOTAL CLAIM

US$ 26,442.73[11]

as well as moral and exemplary damages and attorney's fees.

The LA rendered a Decision dated July 15, 1999, declaring the dismissal of petitioner illegal and

awarding him monetary benefits, to wit: WHEREFORE, premises considered, judgment is hereby rendered declaring that the dismissal of the complainant (petitioner) by the respondents in the above-entitled case was illegal and the respondents are hereby ordered to pay the complainant [petitioner], jointly and severally, in Philippine Currency, based on the rate of exchange prevailing at the time of payment, the amount of EIGHT THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY U.S. DOLLARS (US $8,770.00), representing the complainant’s salary for three (3) months of the unexpired portion of the aforesaid contract of employment. The respondents are likewise ordered to pay the complainant [petitioner], jointly and severally, in Philippine Currency, based on the rate of exchange prevailing at the time of payment, the amount of FORTY FIVE U.S. DOLLARS (US$ 45.00),[12] representing the complainant’s claim for a salary differential. In addition, the respondents are hereby ordered to pay the complainant, jointly and severally, in Philippine Currency, at the exchange rate prevailing at the time of payment, the complainant’s (petitioner's) claim for attorney’s fees equivalent to ten percent (10%) of the total amount awarded to the aforesaid employee under this Decision. The claims of the complainant for moral and exemplary damages are hereby DISMISSED for lack of merit. All other claims are hereby DISMISSED. SO ORDERED.[13] (Emphasis supplied)

In awarding petitioner a lump-sum salary of US$8,770.00, the LA based his computation on the

salary period of three months only -- rather than the entire unexpired portion of nine months and 23 days

of petitioner's employment contract - applying the subject clause. However, the LA applied the salary rate

of US$2,590.00, consisting of petitioner's “[b]asic salary, US$1,400.00/month + US$700.00/month, fixed

overtime pay, + US$490.00/month, vacation leave pay = US$2,590.00/compensation per month.”[14]

Respondents appealed[15] to the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) to question the

finding of the LA that petitioner was illegally dismissed.

Petitioner also appealed[16] to the NLRC on the sole issue that the LA erred in not applying the

ruling of the Court in Triple Integrated Services, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Commission[17] that in case of

illegal dismissal, OFWs are entitled to their salaries for the unexpired portion of their contracts.[18]

In a Decision dated June 15, 2000, the NLRC modified the LA Decision, to wit:

WHEREFORE, the Decision dated 15 July 1999 is MODIFIED. Respondents are hereby ordered to pay complainant, jointly and severally, in Philippine currency, at the prevailing rate of exchange at the time of payment the following:

1. Three (3) months salary $1,400 x 3 US$4,200.002. Salary differential 45.00 US$4,245.003. 10% Attorney’s fees 424.50 TOTAL US$4,669.50

The other findings are affirmed. SO ORDERED.[19]

The NLRC corrected the LA's computation of the lump-sum salary awarded to petitioner by

reducing the applicable salary rate from US$2,590.00 to US$1,400.00 because R.A. No. 8042 “does not

provide for the award of overtime pay, which should be proven to have been actually performed, and for

vacation leave pay.”[20]

Petitioner filed a Motion for Partial Reconsideration, but this time he questioned the

constitutionality of the subject clause.[21] The NLRC denied the motion.[22]

Petitioner filed a Petition for Certiorari[23] with the CA, reiterating the constitutional challenge

against the subject clause.[24] After initially dismissing the petition on a technicality, the CA eventually gave

due course to it, as directed by this Court in its Resolution dated August 7, 2003 which granted the petition

for certiorari, docketed as G.R. No. 151833, filed by petitioner.

In a Decision dated December 8, 2004, the CA affirmed the NLRC ruling on the reduction of the

applicable salary rate; however, the CA skirted the constitutional issue raised by petitioner.[25]

His Motion for Reconsideration[26] having been denied by the CA,[27] petitioner brings his cause to

this Court on the following grounds: I

The Court of Appeals and the labor tribunals have decided the case in a way not in accord with applicable decision of the Supreme Court involving similar issue of granting unto the migrant worker back wages equal to the unexpired portion of his contract of employment instead of limiting it to three (3) months

II

In the alternative that the Court of Appeals and the Labor Tribunals were merely applying their interpretation of Section 10 of Republic Act No. 8042, it is submitted that the Court of Appeals gravely erred in law when it failed to discharge its judicial duty to decide questions of substance not theretofore determined by the Honorable Supreme Court, particularly, the constitutional issues raised by the petitioner on the constitutionality of said law, which unreasonably, unfairly and arbitrarily limits payment of the award for back wages of overseas workers to three (3) months.

III

Even without considering the constitutional limitations [of] Sec. 10 of Republic Act No. 8042, the Court of Appeals gravely erred in law in excluding from petitioner’s

award the overtime pay and vacation pay provided in his contract since under the contract they form part of his salary.[28]

On February 26, 2008, petitioner wrote the Court to withdraw his petition as he is already old

and sickly, and he intends to make use of the monetary award for his medical treatment and medication.[29] Required to comment, counsel for petitioner filed a motion, urging the court to allow partial execution

of the undisputed monetary award and, at the same time, praying that the constitutional question be

resolved.[30]

Considering that the parties have filed their respective memoranda, the Court now takes up the

full merit of the petition mindful of the extreme importance of the constitutional question raised therein.

On the first and second issues

The unanimous finding of the LA, NLRC and CA that the dismissal of petitioner was illegal is not

disputed. Likewise not disputed is the salary differential of US$45.00 awarded to petitioner in all three

fora. What remains disputed is only the computation of the lump-sum salary to be awarded to petitioner

by reason of his illegal dismissal.

Applying the subject clause, the NLRC and the CA computed the lump-sum salary of petitioner at

the monthly rate of US$1,400.00 covering the period of three months out of the unexpired portion of nine

months and 23 days of his employment contract or a total of US$4,200.00.

Impugning the constitutionality of the subject clause, petitioner contends that, in addition to the

US$4,200.00 awarded by the NLRC and the CA, he is entitled to US$21,182.23 more or a total of

US$25,382.23, equivalent to his salaries for the entire nine months and 23 days left of his employment

contract, computed at the monthly rate of US$2,590.00.[31]

The Arguments of Petitioner

Petitioner contends that the subject clause is unconstitutional because it unduly impairs the

freedom of OFWs to negotiate for and stipulate in their overseas employment contracts a determinate

employment period and a fixed salary package.[32] It also impinges on the equal protection clause, for it

treats OFWs differently from local Filipino workers (local workers) by putting a cap on the amount

of lump-sum salary to which OFWs are entitled in case of illegal dismissal, while setting no limit to the

same monetary award for local workers when their dismissal is declared illegal; that the disparate

treatment is not reasonable as there is no substantial distinction between the two groups;[33] and that it

defeats Section 18,[34] Article II of the Constitution which guarantees the protection of the rights and welfare

of all Filipino workers, whether deployed locally or overseas.[35]

Moreover, petitioner argues that the decisions of the CA and the labor tribunals are not in line

with existing jurisprudence on the issue of money claims of illegally dismissed OFWs. Though there are

conflicting rulings on this, petitioner urges the Court to sort them out for the guidance of affected OFWs.[36]

Petitioner further underscores that the insertion of the subject clause into R.A. No. 8042 serves no

other purpose but to benefit local placement agencies. He marks the statement made by the Solicitor

General in his Memorandum, viz.:

Often, placement agencies, their liability being solidary, shoulder the payment of money claims in the event that jurisdiction over the foreign employer is not acquired by the court or if the foreign employer reneges on its obligation. Hence, placement agencies that are in good faith and which fulfill their obligations are unnecessarily penalized for the acts of the foreign employer. To protect them and to promote their continued helpful contribution in deploying Filipino migrant workers, liability for money claims was reduced under Section 10 of R.A. No. 8042. [37] (Emphasis supplied)

Petitioner argues that in mitigating the solidary liability of placement agencies, the subject clause

sacrifices the well-being of OFWs. Not only that, the provision makes foreign employers better off than

local employers because in cases involving the illegal dismissal of employees, foreign employers are liable

for salaries covering a maximum of only three months of the unexpired employment contract while local

employers are liable for the full lump-sum salaries of their employees.

As petitioner puts it:

In terms of practical application, the local employers are not limited to the

amount of backwages they have to give their employees they have illegally dismissed, following well-entrenched and unequivocal jurisprudence on the matter. On the other hand, foreign employers will only be limited to giving the illegally dismissed migrant workers the maximum of three (3) months unpaid salaries notwithstanding the unexpired term of the contract that can be more than three (3) months.[38]

Lastly, petitioner claims that the subject clause violates the due process clause, for it deprives him

of the salaries and other emoluments he is entitled to under his fixed-period employment contract.[39]

The Arguments of Respondents

In their Comment and Memorandum, respondents contend that the constitutional issue should

not be entertained, for this was belatedly interposed by petitioner in his appeal before the CA, and not at

the earliest opportunity, which was when he filed an appeal before the NLRC.[40]

The Arguments of the Solicitor General

The Solicitor General (OSG)[41] points out that as R.A. No. 8042 took effect on July 15, 1995, its

provisions could not have impaired petitioner's 1998 employment contract. Rather, R.A. No. 8042 having

preceded petitioner's contract, the provisions thereof are deemed part of the minimum terms of

petitioner's employment, especially on the matter of money claims, as this was not stipulated upon by the

parties.[42]

Moreover, the OSG emphasizes that OFWs and local workers differ in terms of the nature of their

employment, such that their rights to monetary benefits must necessarily be treated differently. The OSG

enumerates the essential elements that distinguish OFWs from local workers: first, while local workers

perform their jobs within Philippine territory, OFWs perform their jobs for foreign employers, over whom

it is difficult for our courts to acquire jurisdiction, or against whom it is almost impossible to enforce

judgment; and second, as held in Coyoca v. National Labor Relations Commission[43] and Millares v. National

Labor Relations Commission,[44] OFWs are contractual employees who can never acquire regular

employment status, unlike local workers who are or can become regular employees. Hence, the OSG posits

that there are rights and privileges exclusive to local workers, but not available to OFWs; that these

peculiarities make for a reasonable and valid basis for the differentiated treatment under the subject clause

of the money claims of OFWs who are illegally dismissed. Thus, the provision does not violate the equal

protection clause nor Section 18, Article II of the Constitution.[45]

Lastly, the OSG defends the rationale behind the subject clause as a police power measure

adopted to mitigate the solidary liability of placement agencies for this “redounds to the benefit of the

migrant workers whose welfare the government seeks to promote. The survival of legitimate placement

agencies helps [assure] the government that migrant workers are properly deployed and are employed

under decent and humane conditions.”[46]

The Court's Ruling

The Court sustains petitioner on the first and second issues.

When the Court is called upon to exercise its power of judicial review of the acts of its co-equals,

such as the Congress, it does so only when these conditions obtain: (1) that there is an actual case or

controversy involving a conflict of rights susceptible of judicial determination;[47] (2) that the constitutional

question is raised by a proper party[48] and at the earliest opportunity;[49] and (3) that the constitutional

question is the very lis mota of the case,[50] otherwise the Court will dismiss the case or decide the same

on some other ground.[51]

Without a doubt, there exists in this case an actual controversy directly involving petitioner who

is personally aggrieved that the labor tribunals and the CA computed his monetary award based on the

salary period of three months only as provided under the subject clause.

The constitutional challenge is also timely. It should be borne in mind that the requirement that a

constitutional issue be raised at the earliest opportunity entails the interposition of the issue in the

pleadings before a competent court, such that, if the issue is not raised in the pleadings before that

competent court, it cannot be considered at the trial and, if not considered in the trial, it cannot be

considered on appeal.[52] Records disclose that the issue on the constitutionality of the subject clause was

first raised, not in petitioner's appeal with the NLRC, but in his Motion for Partial Reconsideration with said

labor tribunal,[53] and reiterated in his Petition for Certiorari before the CA.[54] Nonetheless, the issue is

deemed seasonably raised because it is not the NLRC but the CA which has the competence to resolve the

constitutional issue. The NLRC is a labor tribunal that merely performs a quasi-judicial function – its

function in the present case is limited to determining questions of fact to which the legislative policy of R.A.

No. 8042 is to be applied and to resolving such questions in accordance with the standards laid down by

the law itself;[55]thus, its foremost function is to administer and enforce R.A. No. 8042, and not to inquire

into the validity of its provisions. The CA, on the other hand, is vested with the power of judicial review or

the power to declare unconstitutional a law or a provision thereof, such as the subject clause.[56] Petitioner's interposition of the constitutional issue before the CA was undoubtedly seasonable. The CA

was therefore remiss in failing to take up the issue in its decision.

The third condition that the constitutional issue be critical to the resolution of the case likewise

obtains because the monetary claim of petitioner to his lump-sum salary for the entire unexpired portion of

his 12-month employment contract, and not just for a period of three months, strikes at the very core of the

subject clause.

Thus, the stage is all set for the determination of the constitutionality of the subject clause.

Does the subject clause violate Section 10, Article III of the Constitution on non-impairmentof contracts?

The answer is in the negative.

Petitioner's claim that the subject clause unduly interferes with the stipulations in his contract on

the term of his employment and the fixed salary package he will receive[57] is not tenable.

Section 10, Article III of the Constitution provides:

No law impairing the obligation of contracts shall be passed.

The prohibition is aligned with the general principle that laws newly enacted have only a

prospective operation,[58] and cannot affect acts or contracts already perfected;[59] however, as to laws

already in existence, their provisions are read into contracts and deemed a part thereof.[60] Thus, the non-

impairment clause under Section 10, Article II is limited in application to laws about to be enacted that

would in any way derogate from existing acts or contracts by enlarging, abridging or in any manner

changing the intention of the parties thereto.

As aptly observed by the OSG, the enactment of R.A. No. 8042 in 1995 preceded the execution of

the employment contract between petitioner and respondents in 1998. Hence, it cannot be argued that

R.A. No. 8042, particularly the subject clause, impaired the employment contract of the parties. Rather,

when the parties executed their 1998 employment contract, they were deemed to have incorporated into it

all the provisions of R.A. No. 8042.

But even if the Court were to disregard the timeline, the subject clause may not be declared

unconstitutional on the ground that it impinges on the impairment clause, for the law was enacted in the

exercise of the police power of the State to regulate a business, profession or calling, particularly the

recruitment and deployment of OFWs, with the noble end in view of ensuring respect for the dignity and

well-being of OFWs wherever they may be employed.[61] Police power legislations adopted by the State to

promote the health, morals, peace, education, good order, safety, and general welfare of the people are

generally applicable not only to future contracts but even to those already in existence, for all private

contracts must yield to the superior and legitimate measures taken by the State to promote public welfare.[62]

Does the subject clause violate Section 1,Article III of the Constitution, and Section 18,Article II and Section 3, Article XIII on labor

as a protected sector?

The answer is in the affirmative.

Section 1, Article III of the Constitution guarantees: No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the law.

Section 18,[63] Article II and Section 3,[64] Article XIII accord all members of the labor sector,

without distinction as to place of deployment, full protection of their rights and welfare.

To Filipino workers, the rights guaranteed under the foregoing constitutional provisions translate

to economic security and parity: all monetary benefits should be equally enjoyed by workers of similar

category, while all monetary obligations should be borne by them in equal degree; none should be denied

the protection of the laws which is enjoyed by, or spared the burden imposed on, others in like

circumstances.[65]

Such rights are not absolute but subject to the inherent power of Congress to incorporate, when it

sees fit, a system of classification into its legislation; however, to be valid, the classification must comply

with these requirements: 1) it is based on substantial distinctions; 2) it is germane to the purposes of the

law; 3) it is not limited to existing conditions only; and 4) it applies equally to all members of the class.[66]

There are three levels of scrutiny at which the Court reviews the constitutionality of a

classification embodied in a law: a) the deferential or rational basis scrutiny in which the challenged

classification needs only be shown to be rationally related to serving a legitimate state interest; [67] b)

the middle-tier or intermediate scrutiny in which the government must show that the

challenged classification serves an important state interest and that the classification is at least

substantially related to serving that interest;[68] and c) strict judicial scrutiny[69] in whicha legislative

classification which impermissibly interferes with the exercise of a fundamental right[70] or operates to the

peculiar disadvantage of a suspect class[71] is presumed unconstitutional, and the burden is upon

the government to prove that the classification is necessary to achieve a compelling state interest and

that it is the least restrictive means to protect such interest.[72]

Under American jurisprudence, strict judicial scrutiny is triggered by suspect

classifications[73] based on race[74] or gender[75] but not when the classification is drawn along income

categories.[76]

It is different in the Philippine setting. In Central Bank (now Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas)

Employee Association, Inc. v. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas,[77] the constitutionality of a provision in the charter

of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), a government financial institution (GFI), was challenged for

maintaining its rank-and-file employees under the Salary Standardization Law (SSL), even when the rank-

and-file employees of other GFIs had been exempted from the SSL by their respective charters. Finding

that the disputed provision contained a suspect classification based on salary grade, the Court deliberately

employed the standard of strict judicial scrutiny in its review of the constitutionality of said

provision. More significantly, it was in this case that the Court revealed the broad outlines of its judicial

philosophy, to wit:

Congress retains its wide discretion in providing for a valid classification, and its policies should be accorded recognition and respect by the courts of justice except when they run afoul of the Constitution.The deference stops where the classification violates a fundamental right, or prejudices persons accorded special protection by the Constitution. When these violations arise, this Court must discharge its primary role as the vanguard of constitutional guaranties, and require a stricter and more exacting adherence to constitutional limitations. Rational basis should not suffice.

Admittedly, the view that prejudice to persons accorded special protection

by the Constitution requires a stricter judicial scrutiny finds no support in American or English jurisprudence. Nevertheless, these foreign decisions and authorities are not per se controlling in this jurisdiction. At best, they are persuasive and have been used to support many of our decisions. We should not place undue and fawning reliance upon them and regard them as indispensable mental crutches without which we cannot come to our own decisions through the employment of our own endowments. We live in a different ambience and must decide our own problems in the light of our own interests and needs, and of our qualities and even idiosyncrasies as a people, and always

with our own concept of law and justice. Our laws must be construed in accordance with the intention of our own lawmakers and such intent may be deduced from the language of each law and the context of other local legislation related thereto. More importantly, they must be construed to serve our own public interest which is the be-all and the end-all of all our laws. And it need not be stressed that our public interest is distinct and different from others.

x x x x Further, the quest for a better and more “equal” world calls for the use of equal

protection as a tool of effective judicial intervention. Equality is one ideal which cries out for bold attention and action in the

Constitution. The Preamble proclaims “equality” as an ideal precisely in protest against crushing inequities in Philippine society. The command to promote social justice in Article II, Section 10, in “all phases of national development,” further explicitated in Article XIII, are clear commands to the State to take affirmative action in the direction of greater equality. x x x [T]here is thus in the Philippine Constitution no lack of doctrinal support for a more vigorous state effort towards achieving a reasonable measure of equality.

Our present Constitution has gone further in guaranteeing vital social and

economic rights to marginalized groups of society, including labor. Under the policy of social justice, the law bends over backward to accommodate the interests of the working class on the humane justification that those with less privilege in life should have more in law. And the obligation to afford protection to labor is incumbent not only on the legislative and executive branches but also on the judiciary to translate this pledge into a living reality. Social justice calls for the humanization of laws and the equalization of social and economic forces by the State so that justice in its rational and objectively secular conception may at least be approximated.

x x x x Under most circumstances, the Court will exercise judicial restraint in deciding

questions of constitutionality, recognizing the broad discretion given to Congress in exercising its legislative power. Judicial scrutiny would be based on the “rational basis” test, and the legislative discretion would be given deferential treatment.

But if the challenge to the statute is premised on the denial of a fundamental

right, or the perpetuation of prejudice against persons favored by the Constitution with special protection, judicial scrutiny ought to be more strict. A weak and watered down view would call for the abdication of this Court’s solemn duty to strike down any law repugnant to the Constitution and the rights it enshrines. This is true whether the actor committing the unconstitutional act is a private person or the

government itself or one of its instrumentalities. Oppressive acts will be struck down regardless of the character or nature of the actor.

x x x x In the case at bar, the challenged proviso operates on the basis of the salary

grade or officer-employee status. It is akin to a distinction based on economic class and status, with the higher grades as recipients of a benefit specifically withheld from the lower grades. Officers of the BSP now receive higher compensation packages that are competitive with the industry, while the poorer, low-salaried employees are limited to the rates prescribed by the SSL. The implications are quite disturbing: BSP rank-and-file employees are paid the strictly regimented rates of the SSL while employees higher in rank - possessing higher and better education and opportunities for career advancement - are given higher compensation packages to entice them to stay. Considering that majority, if not all, the rank-and-file employees consist of people whose status and rank in life are less and limited, especially in terms of job marketability, it is they - and not the officers - who have the real economic and financial need for the adjustment . This is in accord with the policy of the Constitution "to free the people from poverty, provide adequate social services, extend to them a decent standard of living, and improve the quality of life for all.” Any act of Congress that runs counter to this constitutional desideratum deserves strict scrutiny by this Court before it can pass muster. (Emphasis supplied)

Imbued with the same sense of “obligation to afford protection to labor,” the Court in the present

case also employs the standard of strict judicial scrutiny, for it perceives in the subject clause a suspect

classification prejudicial to OFWs.

Upon cursory reading, the subject clause appears facially neutral, for it applies to all

OFWs. However, a closer examination reveals that the subject clause has a discriminatory intent against,

and an invidious impact on, OFWs at two levels:

First, OFWs with employment contracts of less than one year vis-à-vis OFWs with employment contracts of one year or more;

Second, among OFWs with employment contracts of more than one year; and Third, OFWs vis-à-vis local workers with fixed-period employment;

OFWs with employment contracts of less than one year vis-à-vis OFWs with employment contracts of one year or more

As pointed out by petitioner,[78] it was in Marsaman Manning Agency, Inc. v. National Labor

Relations Commission[79] (Second Division, 1999) that the Court laid down the following rules on the

application of the periods prescribed under Section 10(5) of R.A. No. 804, to wit:

A plain reading of Sec. 10 clearly reveals that the choice of which amount to award an illegally dismissed overseas contract worker, i.e., whether his salaries for the unexpired portion of his employment contract or three (3) months’ salary for every year of the unexpired term, whichever is less, comes into play only when the employment contract concerned has a term of at least one (1) year or more. This is evident from the words “for every year of the unexpired term” which follows the words “salaries x x x for three months.” To follow petitioners’ thinking that private respondent is entitled to three (3) months salary only simply because it is the lesser amount is to completely disregard and overlook some words used in the statute while giving effect to some. This is contrary to the well-established rule in legal hermeneutics that in interpreting a statute, care should be taken that every part or word thereof be given effect since the law-making body is presumed to know the meaning of the words employed in the statue and to have used them advisedly. Ut res magis valeat quam pereat.[80] (Emphasis supplied)

In Marsaman, the OFW involved was illegally dismissed two months into his 10-month contract, but was

awarded his salaries for the remaining 8 months and 6 days of his contract.

Prior to Marsaman, however, there were two cases in which the Court made conflicting rulings

on Section 10(5). One was Asian Center for Career and Employment System and Services v. National Labor

Relations Commission (Second Division, October 1998),[81] which involved an OFW who was awarded

a two-year employment contract, but was dismissed after working for one year and two months. The LA

declared his dismissal illegal and awarded him SR13,600.00 as lump-sum salary covering eight months,

the unexpired portion of his contract. On appeal, the Court reduced the award to SR3,600.00 equivalent

to his three months’ salary, this being the lesser value, to wit:

Under Section 10 of R.A. No. 8042, a worker dismissed from overseas employment without just, valid or authorized cause is entitled to his salary for the

unexpired portion of his employment contract or for three (3) months for every year of the unexpired term, whichever is less.

In the case at bar, the unexpired portion of private respondent’s employment

contract is eight (8) months. Private respondent should therefore be paid his basic salary corresponding to three (3) months or a total of SR3,600.[82]

Another was Triple-Eight Integrated Services, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Commission (Third

Division, December 1998),[83] which involved an OFW (therein respondent Erlinda Osdana) who was

originally granted a 12-month contract, which was deemed renewed for another 12 months. After serving

for one year and seven-and-a-half months, respondent Osdana was illegally dismissed, and the Court

awarded her salaries for the entire unexpired portion of four and one-half months of her contract.

The Marsaman interpretation of Section 10(5) has since been adopted in the following cases:

Case Title Contract Period

Period of Service

Unexpired PeriodPeriod Applied in the Computation of the Monetary Award

Skippers v. Maguad[84]

6 months 2 months 4 months 4 months

Bahia Shipping v. Reynaldo Chua [85]


Centennial Transmarine v. dela Cruz l[86]


Talidano v. Falcon[87]


Univan v.CA [88]


Oriental v.CA [89]

12 months more than 2 months

10 months 3 months

PCL v. NLRC[90] 12 months more than 2 more or less 9 3 months

months months

Olarte v. Nayona[91]

12 months 21 days 11 months and 9 days

3 months

JSS v.Ferrer[92]

12 months 16 days 11 months and 24 days

3 months

Pentagon v. Adelantar[93]

12 months 9 months and 7 days

2 months and 23 days


Phil. Employ v. Paramio,et al.[94]

12 months 10 months 2 months Unexpired portion

Flourish Maritime v. Almanzor [95]

2 years 26 days 23 months and 4 days

6 months or 3 months for each year of contract

Athenna Manpower v. Villanos [96]

1 year, 10 months and 28 days

1 month 1 year, 9 months and 28 days

6 months or 3 months for each year of contract

As the foregoing matrix readily shows, the subject clause classifies OFWs into two categories. The

first category includes OFWs with fixed-period employment contracts of less than one year; in case of illegal

dismissal, they are entitled to their salaries for the entire unexpired portion of their contract. The second

category consists of OFWs with fixed-period employment contracts of one year or more; in case of illegal

dismissal, they are entitled to monetary award equivalent to only 3 months of the unexpired portion of

their contracts.

The disparity in the treatment of these two groups cannot be discounted. In Skippers, the

respondent OFW worked for only 2 months out of his 6-month contract, but was awarded his salaries for

the remaining 4 months. In contrast, the respondent OFWs in Oriental and PCL who had also worked for

about 2 months out of their 12-month contracts were awarded their salaries for only 3 months of the

unexpired portion of their contracts. Even the OFWs involved in Talidano and Univan who had worked

for a longer period of 3 months out of their 12-month contracts before being illegally dismissed were

awarded their salaries for only 3 months.

To illustrate the disparity even more vividly, the Court assumes a hypothetical OFW-A with an

employment contract of 10 months at a monthly salary rate of US$1,000.00 and a hypothetical OFW-B with

an employment contract of 15 months with the same monthly salary rate of US$1,000.00. Both

commenced work on the same day and under the same employer, and were illegally dismissed after one

month of work. Under the subject clause, OFW-A will be entitled to US$9,000.00, equivalent to his salaries

for the remaining 9 months of his contract, whereas OFW-B will be entitled to only US$3,000.00, equivalent

to his salaries for 3 months of the unexpired portion of his contract, instead of US$14,000.00 for the

unexpired portion of 14 months of his contract, as the US$3,000.00 is the lesser amount.

The disparity becomes more aggravating when the Court takes into account jurisprudence

that, prior to the effectivity of R.A. No. 8042 on July 14, 1995,[97] illegally dismissed OFWs, no matter

how long the period of their employment contracts, were entitled to their salaries for the entire unexpired

portions of their contracts. The matrix below speaks for itself:

Case Title Contract Period

Period of Service

Unexpired Period

Period Applied in the Computation of the Monetary Award

ATCI v. CA,et al.[98]

2 years 2 months 22 months 22 months

Phil. Integrated v. NLRC[99]

2 years 7 days 23 months and 23 days


JGB v. NLC[100] 2 years 9 months 15 months 15 months

Agoy v. NLRC[101] 2 years 2 months 22 months 22 months

EDI v. NLRC, et al.[102]

2 years 5 months 19 months 19 months

Barros v. NLRC, et al.[103]


Philippine Transmarine v. Carilla[104]

12 months 6 months and 22 days



It is plain that prior to R.A. No. 8042, all OFWs, regardless of contract periods or the unexpired

portions thereof, were treated alike in terms of the computation of their monetary benefits in case of illegal

dismissal. Their claims were subjected to a uniform rule of computation: their basic salaries multiplied by the

entire unexpired portion of their employment contracts.

The enactment of the subject clause in R.A. No. 8042 introduced a differentiated rule of

computation of the money claims of illegally dismissed OFWs based on their employment periods, in the

process singling out one category whose contracts have an unexpired portion of one year or more and

subjecting them to the peculiar disadvantage of having their monetary awards limited to their salaries for 3

months or for the unexpired portion thereof, whichever is less, but all the while sparing the other category

from such prejudice, simply because the latter's unexpired contracts fall short of one year.

Among OFWs With EmploymentContracts of More Than One Year

Upon closer examination of the terminology employed in the subject clause, the Court now has

misgivings on the accuracy of the Marsaman interpretation.

The Court notes that the subject clause “or for three (3) months for every year of the unexpired

term, whichever is less” contains the qualifying phrases “every year” and “unexpired term.” By its ordinary

meaning, the word “term” means a limited or definite extent of time.[105] Corollarily, that “every year” is

but part of an “unexpired term” is significant in many ways: first, the unexpired term must be at least

one year, for if it were any shorter, there would be no occasion for such unexpired term to be

measured by every year; and second, the original term must be more than one year, for otherwise,

whatever would be the unexpired term thereof will not reach even a year. Consequently, the more

decisive factor in the determination of when the subject clause “for three (3) months for every year of the

unexpired term, whichever is less” shall apply is not the length of the original contract period as held

in Marsaman,[106] but the length of the unexpired portion of the contract period -- the subject clause applies

in cases when the unexpired portion of the contract period is at least one year, which arithmetically

requires that the original contract period be more than one year.

Viewed in that light, the subject clause creates a sub-layer of discrimination among OFWs whose

contract periods are for more than one year: those who are illegally dismissed with less than one year left

in their contracts shall be entitled to their salaries for the entire unexpired portion thereof, while those who

are illegally dismissed with one year or more remaining in their contracts shall be covered by the subject

clause, and their monetary benefits limited to their salaries for three months only.

To concretely illustrate the application of the foregoing interpretation of the subject clause, the

Court assumes hypothetical OFW-C and OFW-D, who each have a 24-month contract at a salary rate of

US$1,000.00 per month. OFW-C is illegally dismissed on the 12th month, and OFW-D, on the

13th month. Considering that there is at least 12 months remaining in the contract period of OFW-C, the

subject clause applies to the computation of the latter's monetary benefits. Thus, OFW-C will be entitled,

not to US$12,000,00 or the latter's total salaries for the 12 months unexpired portion of the contract, but to

the lesser amount of US$3,000.00 or the latter's salaries for 3 months out of the 12-month unexpired term

of the contract. On the other hand, OFW-D is spared from the effects of the subject clause, for there are only

11 months left in the latter's contract period. Thus, OFW-D will be entitled to US$11,000.00, which is

equivalent to his/her total salaries for the entire 11-month unexpired portion.

OFWs vis-à-vis Local WorkersWith Fixed-Period Employment

As discussed earlier, prior to R.A. No. 8042, a uniform system of computation of the monetary

awards of illegally dismissed OFWs was in place. This uniform system was applicable even to local

workers with fixed-term employment.[107]

The earliest rule prescribing a uniform system of computation was actually Article 299 of the

Code of Commerce (1888),[108] to wit:

Article 299. If the contracts between the merchants and their shop clerks

and employees should have been made of a fixed period, none of the contracting parties, without the consent of the other, may withdraw from the fulfillment of said contract until the termination of the period agreed upon.

Persons violating this clause shall be subject to indemnify the loss and damage suffered, with the exception of the provisions contained in the following articles.

In Reyes v. The Compañia Maritima,[109] the Court applied the foregoing provision to determine the

liability of a shipping company for the illegal discharge of its managers prior to the expiration of their fixed-

term employment. The Court therein held the shipping company liable for the salaries of its managers for

the remainder of their fixed-term employment.

There is a more specific rule as far as seafarers are concerned: Article 605 of the Code of

Commerce which provides: Article 605. If the contracts of the captain and members of the crew with the

agent should be for a definite period or voyage, they cannot be discharged until the fulfillment of their contracts, except for reasons of insubordination in serious matters, robbery, theft, habitual drunkenness, and damage caused to the vessel or to its cargo by malice or manifest or proven negligence.

Article 605 was applied to Madrigal Shipping Company, Inc. v. Ogilvie,[110] in

which the Court held the shipping company liable for the salaries and subsistence allowance of its illegally

dismissed employees for the entire unexpired portion of their employment contracts.

While Article 605 has remained good law up to the present,[111] Article 299 of the Code of

Commerce was replaced by Art. 1586 of the Civil Code of 1889, to wit:Article 1586. Field hands, mechanics, artisans, and other laborers hired for a

certain time and for a certain work cannot leave or be dismissed without sufficient cause, before the fulfillment of the contract. (Emphasis supplied.)

Citing Manresa, the Court in Lemoine v. Alkan[112] read the disjunctive "or" in Article 1586 as a

conjunctive "and" so as to apply the provision to local workers who are employed for a time certain

although for no particular skill. This interpretation of Article 1586 was reiterated in Garcia Palomar v.

Hotel de France Company.[113] And in both Lemoine and Palomar, the Court adopted the general principle

that in actions for wrongful discharge founded on Article 1586, local workers are entitled to recover

damages to the extent of the amount stipulated to be paid to them by the terms of their contract. On the

computation of the amount of such damages, the Court in Aldaz v. Gay[114] held:

The doctrine is well-established in American jurisprudence, and nothing has been brought to our attention to the contrary under Spanish jurisprudence, that when an employee is wrongfully discharged it is his duty to seek other employment of the same kind in the same community, for the purpose of reducing the damages resulting from such wrongful discharge. However, while this is the general rule, the burden of showing that he failed to make an effort to secure other employment of a like nature, and that other employment of a like nature was obtainable, is upon the defendant. When an employee is wrongfully discharged under a contract of employment his prima facie damage is the amount which he would be entitled to had he continued in such employment until the termination of the period. (Howard vs. Daly, 61 N. Y., 362; Allen vs. Whitlark, 99 Mich., 492; Farrell vs. School District No. 2, 98 Mich., 43.)[115] (Emphasis supplied)

On August 30, 1950, the New Civil Code took effect with new provisions on fixed-term

employment: Section 2 (Obligations with a Period), Chapter 3, Title I, and Sections 2 (Contract of Labor)

and 3 (Contract for a Piece of Work), Chapter 3, Title VIII, Book IV.[116] Much like Article 1586 of the Civil

Code of 1889, the new provisions of the Civil Code do not expressly provide for the remedies available to a

fixed-term worker who is illegally discharged. However, it is noted that in Mackay Radio & Telegraph Co.,

Inc. v. Rich,[117] the Court carried over the principles on the payment of damages underlying Article 1586 of

the Civil Code of 1889 and applied the same to a case involving the illegal discharge of a local worker whose

fixed-period employment contract was entered into in 1952, when the new Civil Code was already in

effect.[118]

More significantly, the same principles were applied to cases involving overseas Filipino workers

whose fixed-term employment contracts were illegally terminated, such as in First Asian Trans & Shipping

Agency, Inc. v. Ople,[119] involving seafarers who were illegally discharged. In Teknika Skills and Trade

Services, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Commission,[120] an OFW who was illegally dismissed prior to the

expiration of her fixed-period employment contract as a baby sitter, was awarded salaries corresponding

to the unexpired portion of her contract. The Court arrived at the same ruling in Anderson v. National Labor

Relations Commission,[121] which involved a foreman hired in 1988 in Saudi Arabia for a fixed term of two

years, but who was illegally dismissed after only nine months on the job -- the Court awarded him salaries

corresponding to 15 months, the unexpired portion of his contract. In Asia World Recruitment, Inc. v.

National Labor Relations Commission,[122] a Filipino working as a security officer in 1989 in Angola was

awarded his salaries for the remaining period of his 12-month contract after he was wrongfully

discharged. Finally, in Vinta Maritime Co., Inc. v. National Labor Relations Commission,[123] an OFW whose

12-month contract was illegally cut short in the second month was declared entitled to his salaries for the

remaining 10 months of his contract.

In sum, prior to R.A. No. 8042, OFWs and local workers with fixed-term employment who were

illegally discharged were treated alike in terms of the computation of their money claims: they were uniformly

entitled to their salaries for the entire unexpired portions of their contracts. But with the enactment of R.A.

No. 8042, specifically the adoption of the subject clause, illegally dismissed OFWs with an unexpired

portion of one year or more in their employment contract have since been differently treated in that their

money claims are subject to a 3-month cap, whereas no such limitation is imposed on local workers with

fixed-term employment.

The Court concludes that the subject clause contains a suspect classification in that, in the

computation of the monetary benefits of fixed-term employees who are illegally discharged, it

imposes a 3-month cap on the claim of OFWs with an unexpired portion of one year or more in their

contracts, but none on the claims of other OFWs or local workers with fixed-term employment. The

subject clause singles out one classification of OFWs and burdens it with a peculiar disadvantage.

There being a suspect classification involving a vulnerable sector protected by the Constitution,

the Court now subjects the classification to a strict judicial scrutiny, and determines whether it serves a

compelling state interest through the least restrictive means.

What constitutes compelling state interest is measured by the scale of rights and powers arrayed

in the Constitution and calibrated by history.[124] It is akin to the paramount interest of the state[125] for

which some individual liberties must give way, such as the public interest in safeguarding health or

maintaining medical standards,[126] or in maintaining access to information on matters of public concern.[127]

In the present case, the Court dug deep into the records but found no compelling state interest

that the subject clause may possibly serve.

The OSG defends the subject clause as a police power measure “designed to protect the

employment of Filipino seafarers overseas x x x. By limiting the liability to three months [sic], Filipino

seafarers have better chance of getting hired by foreign employers.” The limitation also protects the

interest of local placement agencies, which otherwise may be made to shoulder millions of pesos in

“termination pay.”[128]

The OSG explained further:

Often, placement agencies, their liability being solidary, shoulder the payment of money claims in the event that jurisdiction over the foreign employer is not acquired by the court or if the foreign employer reneges on its obligation. Hence, placement agencies that are in good faith and which fulfill their obligations are unnecessarily penalized for the acts of the foreign employer. To protect them and to promote their continued helpful contribution in deploying Filipino migrant workers, liability for money are reduced under Section 10 of RA 8042.

This measure redounds to the benefit of the migrant workers whose welfare

the government seeks to promote. The survival of legitimate placement agencies helps [assure] the government that migrant workers are properly deployed and are employed under decent and humane conditions.[129] (Emphasis supplied)

However, nowhere in the Comment or Memorandum does the OSG cite the source of its

perception of the state interest sought to be served by the subject clause.

The OSG locates the purpose of R.A. No. 8042 in the speech of Rep. Bonifacio Gallego in

sponsorship of House Bill No. 14314 (HB 14314), from which the law originated;[130] but the speech makes

no reference to the underlying reason for the adoption of the subject clause. That is only natural for none

of the 29 provisions in HB 14314 resembles the subject clause.

On the other hand, Senate Bill No. 2077 (SB 2077) contains a provision on money claims, to wit:

Sec. 10. Money Claims. - Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the Labor Arbiters of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) shall have the original and exclusive jurisdiction to hear and decide, within ninety (90) calendar days after the filing of the complaint, the claims arising out of an employer-employee relationship or by virtue of the complaint, the claim arising out of an employer-employee relationship or by virtue of any law or contract involving Filipino workers for overseas employment including claims for actual, moral, exemplary and other forms of damages.

The liability of the principal and the recruitment/placement agency or any and

all claims under this Section shall be joint and several. Any compromise/amicable settlement or voluntary agreement on any money

claims exclusive of damages under this Section shall not be less than fifty percent (50%) of such money claims: Provided, That any installment payments, if applicable, to satisfy any such compromise or voluntary settlement shall not be more than two (2) months. Any compromise/voluntary agreement in violation of this paragraph shall be null and void.

Non-compliance with the mandatory period for resolutions of cases provided

under this Section shall subject the responsible officials to any or all of the following penalties:

(1) The salary of any such official who fails to render his decision or resolution within the prescribed period shall be, or caused to be, withheld until the said official complies therewith; (2) Suspension for not more than ninety (90) days; or (3) Dismissal from the service with disqualification to hold any appointive public office for five (5) years. Provided, however, That the penalties herein provided shall be without

prejudice to any liability which any such official may have incurred under other existing

laws or rules and regulations as a consequence of violating the provisions of this paragraph.

But significantly, Section 10 of SB 2077 does not provide for any rule on the computation of money claims.

A rule on the computation of money claims containing the subject clause was inserted and

eventually adopted as the 5th paragraph of Section 10 of R.A. No. 8042. The Court examined the rationale

of the subject clause in the transcripts of the “Bicameral Conference Committee (Conference Committee)

Meetings on the Magna Carta on OCWs (Disagreeing Provisions of Senate Bill No. 2077 and House Bill No.

14314).” However, the Court finds no discernible state interest, let alone a compelling one, that is sought to

be protected or advanced by the adoption of the subject clause.

In fine, the Government has failed to discharge its burden of proving the existence of a compelling

state interest that would justify the perpetuation of the discrimination against OFWs under the subject

clause.

Assuming that, as advanced by the OSG, the purpose of the subject clause is to protect the

employment of OFWs by mitigating the solidary liability of placement agencies, such callous and cavalier

rationale will have to be rejected. There can never be a justification for any form of government action that

alleviates the burden of one sector, but imposes the same burden on another sector, especially when the

favored sector is composed of private businesses such as placement agencies, while the disadvantaged

sector is composed of OFWs whose protection no less than the Constitution commands. The idea that

private business interest can be elevated to the level of a compelling state interest is odious.

Moreover, even if the purpose of the subject clause is to lessen the solidary liability of placement

agencies vis-a-vis their foreign principals, there are mechanisms already in place that can be employed to

achieve that purpose without infringing on the constitutional rights of OFWs.

The POEA Rules and Regulations Governing the Recruitment and Employment of Land-Based

Overseas Workers, dated February 4, 2002, imposes administrative disciplinary measures on erring

foreign employers who default on their contractual obligations to migrant workers and/or their Philippine

agents. These disciplinary measures range from temporary disqualification to preventive suspension. The

POEA Rules and Regulations Governing the Recruitment and Employment of Seafarers, dated May 23,

2003, contains similar administrative disciplinary measures against erring foreign employers.

Resort to these administrative measures is undoubtedly the less restrictive means of aiding local

placement agencies in enforcing the solidary liability of their foreign principals.

Thus, the subject clause in the 5th paragraph of Section 10 of R.A. No. 8042 is violative of the right

of petitioner and other OFWs to equal protection.

Further, there would be certain misgivings if one is to approach the declaration of the

unconstitutionality of the subject clause from the lone perspective that the clause directly violates state

policy on labor under Section 3,[131] Article XIII of the Constitution.

While all the provisions of the 1987 Constitution are presumed self-executing, ,[132] there are some

which this Court has declared not judicially enforceable, Article XIII being one,[133] particularly Section

3 thereof, the nature of which, this Court, in Agabon v. National Labor Relations Commission,[134] has

described to be not self-actuating:

Thus, the constitutional mandates of protection to labor and security of tenure may be deemed as self-executing in the sense that these are automatically acknowledged and observed without need for any enabling legislation. However, to declare that the constitutional provisions are enough to guarantee the full exercise of the rights embodied therein, and the realization of ideals therein expressed, would be impractical, if not unrealistic. The espousal of such view presents the dangerous tendency of being overbroad and exaggerated. The guarantees of "full protection to labor" and "security of tenure", when examined in isolation, are facially unqualified, and the broadest interpretation possible suggests a blanket shield in favor of labor against any form of removal regardless of circumstance. This interpretation implies an unimpeachable right to continued employment-a utopian notion, doubtless-but still hardly within the contemplation of the framers. Subsequent legislation is still needed to define the parameters of these guaranteed rights to ensure the protection and promotion, not only the rights of the labor sector, but of the employers' as well. Without

specific and pertinent legislation, judicial bodies will be at a loss, formulating their own conclusion to approximate at least the aims of the Constitution.

Ultimately, therefore, Section 3 of Article XIII cannot, on its own, be a source of a positive enforceable right to stave off the dismissal of an employee for just cause owing to the failure to serve proper notice or hearing. As manifested by several framers of the 1987 Constitution, the provisions on social justice require legislative enactments for their enforceability.[135] (Emphasis added)

Thus, Section 3, Article XIII cannot be treated as a principal source of direct enforceable rights, for

the violation of which the questioned clause may be declared unconstitutional. It may unwittingly risk

opening the floodgates of litigation to every worker or union over every conceivable violation of so broad a

concept as social justice for labor.

It must be stressed that Section 3, Article XIII does not directly bestow on the working class

any actual enforceable right, but merely clothes it with the status of a sector for whom the

Constitution urges protection through executive or legislative action and judicial recognition. Its

utility is best limited to being an impetus not just for the executive and legislative departments, but for

the judiciary as well, to protect the welfare of the working class. And it was in fact consistent with

that constitutional agenda that the Court in Central Bank (now Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) Employee

Association, Inc. v. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, penned by then Associate Justice now Chief Justice

Reynato S. Puno, formulated the judicial precept that when the challenge to a statute is premised on

the perpetuation of prejudice against persons favored by the Constitution with special protection --

such as the working class or a section thereof -- the Court may recognize the existence of a suspect

classification and subject the same to strict judicial scrutiny.

The view that the concepts of suspect classification and strict judicial scrutiny formulated

in Central Bank Employee Association exaggerate the significance of Section 3, Article XIII is a groundless

apprehension. Central Bank applied Article XIII in conjunction with the equal protection clause. Article

XIII, by itself, without the application of the equal protection clause, has no life or force of its own as

elucidated in Agabon.

Along the same line of reasoning, the Court further holds that the subject clause violates

petitioner's right to substantive due process, for it deprives him of property, consisting of monetary

benefits, without any existing valid governmental purpose.[136]

The argument of the Solicitor General, that the actual purpose of the subject clause of limiting the

entitlement of OFWs to their three-month salary in case of illegal dismissal, is to give them a better chance

of getting hired by foreign employers. This is plain speculation. As earlier discussed, there is nothing in the

text of the law or the records of the deliberations leading to its enactment or the pleadings of respondent

that would indicate that there is an existing governmental purpose for the subject clause, or even just a

pretext of one.

The subject clause does not state or imply any definitive governmental purpose; and it is for that

precise reason that the clause violates not just petitioner's right to equal protection, but also her right to

substantive due process under Section 1,[137] Article III of the Constitution.

The subject clause being unconstitutional, petitioner is entitled to his salaries for the entire

unexpired period of nine months and 23 days of his employment contract, pursuant to law and

jurisprudence prior to the enactment of R.A. No. 8042.

On the Third Issue

Petitioner contends that his overtime and leave pay should form part of the salary basis in the

computation of his monetary award, because these are fixed benefits that have been stipulated into his

contract.

Petitioner is mistaken.

The word salaries in Section 10(5) does not include overtime and leave pay. For seafarers like

petitioner, DOLE Department Order No. 33, series 1996, provides a Standard Employment Contract of

Seafarers, in which salary is understood as the basic wage, exclusive of overtime, leave pay and other

bonuses; whereas overtime pay is compensation for all work “performed” in excess of the regular eight

hours, and holiday pay is compensation for any work “performed” on designated rest days and holidays.

By the foregoing definition alone, there is no basis for the automatic inclusion of overtime and

holiday pay in the computation of petitioner's monetary award, unless there is evidence that he performed

work during those periods. As the Court held in Centennial Transmarine, Inc. v. Dela Cruz,[138]

However, the payment of overtime pay and leave pay should be disallowed in

light of our ruling in Cagampan v. National Labor Relations Commission, to wit:

The rendition of overtime work and the submission of sufficient proof that said was actually performed are conditions to be satisfied before a seaman could be entitled to overtime pay which should be computed on the basis of 30% of the basic monthly salary. In short, the contract provision guarantees the right to overtime pay but the entitlement to such benefit must first be established.

In the same vein, the claim for the day's leave pay for the unexpired portion of the contract is unwarranted since the same is given during the actual service of the seamen.

WHEREFORE, the Court GRANTS the Petition. The subject clause “or for three months for

every year of the unexpired term, whichever is less” in the 5th paragraph of Section 10 of Republic Act No.

8042 is DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL; and the December 8, 2004 Decision and April 1, 2005

Resolution of the Court of Appeals are MODIFIED to the effect that petitioner is AWARDED his salaries

for the entire unexpired portion of his employment contract consisting of nine months and 23 days

computed at the rate of US$1,400.00 per month.

No costs.

SO ORDERED. MA. ALICIA AUSTRIA-MARTINEZAssociate Justice

G.R. No. 93666 April 22, 1991

GENERAL MILLING CORPORATION and EARL TIMOTHY CONE, petitioners, vs.HON. RUBEN D. TORRES, in his capacity as Secretary of Labor and Employment, HON. BIENVENIDO E. LAGUESMA, in his capacity as Acting Secretary of Labor and Employment, and BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES, respondents.

Sobrevinas, Diaz, Hayudini & Bodegon Law Office for petitioners.

Rodrigo, Cuevas & De Borja for respondent BCAP.

R E S O L U T I O N

FELICIANO, J.:

On 1 May 1989, the National Capital Region of the Department of Labor and Employment issued Alien Employment Permit No. M-0689-3-535 in favor of petitioner Earl Timothy Cone, a United States citizen, as sports consultant and assistant coach for petitioner General Milling Corporation ("GMC").

On 27 December 1989, petitioners GMC and Cone entered into a contract of employment whereby the latter undertook to coach GMC's basketball team.

On 15 January 1990, the Board of Special Inquiry of the Commission on Immigration and Deportation approved petitioner Cone's application for a change of admission status from temporary visitor to pre-arranged employee.

On 9 February 1990, petitioner GMC requested renewal of petitioner Cone's alien employment permit. GMC also requested that it be allowed to employ Cone as full-fledged coach. The DOLE Regional Director, Luna Piezas, granted the request on 15 February 1990.

On 18 February 1990, Alien Employment Permit No. M-02903-881, valid until 25 December 1990, was issued.

Private respondent Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines ("BCAP") appealed the issuance of said alien employment permit to the respondent Secretary of Labor who, on 23 April 1990, issued a decision ordering cancellation of petitioner Cone's employment permit on the ground that there was no showing that there is no person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services required nor that the hiring of petitioner Cone would redound to the national interest.

Petitioner GMC filed a Motion for Reconsideration and two (2) Supplemental Motions for Reconsideration but said Motions were denied by Acting Secretary of Labor Bienvenido E. Laguesma in an Order dated 8 June 1990.

Petitioners are now before the Court on a Petition for Certiorari, dated 14 June 1990, alleging that:

1. respondent Secretary of Labor gravely abused his discretion when he revoked petitioner Cone's alien employment permit; and

2. Section 6 (c), Rule XIV, Book I of the Omnibus Rules Implementing the Labor Code is null and void as it is in violation of the enabling law as the Labor Code does not empower respondent Secretary to

determine if the employment of an alien would redound to national interest.

Deliberating on the present Petition for Certiorari, the Court considers that petitioners have failed to show any grave abuse of discretion or any act without or in excess of jurisdiction on the part of respondent Secretary of Labor in rendering his decision, dated 23 April 1990, revoking petitioner Cone's Alien Employment Permit.

The alleged failure to notify petitioners of the appeal filed by private respondent BCAP was cured when petitioners were allowed to file their Motion for Reconsideration before respondent Secretary of Labor. 1

Petitioner GMC's claim that hiring of a foreign coach is an employer's prerogative has no legal basis at all. Under Article 40 of the Labor Code, an employer seeking employment of an alien must first obtain an employment permit from the Department of Labor. Petitioner GMC's right to choose whom to employ is, of course, limited by the statutory requirement of an alien employment permit.

Petitioners will not find solace in the equal protection clause of the Constitution. As pointed out by the Solicitor-General, no comparison can be made between petitioner Cone and Mr. Norman Black as the latter is "a long time resident of the country," and thus, not subject to the provisions of Article 40 of the Labor Code which apply only to "non-resident aliens." In any case, the term "non-resident alien" and its obverse "resident alien," here must be given their technical connotation under our law on immigration.

Neither can petitioners validly claim that implementation of respondent Secretary's decision would amount to an impairment of the obligations of contracts. The provisions of the Labor Code and its Implementing Rules and Regulations requiring alien employment permits were in existence long before petitioners entered into their contract of employment. It is firmly settled that provisions of applicable laws, especially provisions relating to matters affected with public policy, are deemed written into contracts. 2 Private parties cannot constitutionally contract away the otherwise applicable provisions of law.

Petitioners' contention that respondent Secretary of Labor should have deferred to the findings of Commission on Immigration and Deportation as to the necessity of employing petitioner Cone, is, again, bereft of legal basis. The Labor Code itself specifically empowers respondent Secretary to make a determination as to the availability of the services of a "person in the Philippines who is competent, able and

willing at the time of application to perform the services for which an alien is desired." 3 In short, the Department of Labor is the agency vested with jurisdiction to determine the question of availability of local workers. The constitutional validity of legal provisions granting such jurisdiction and authority and requiring proof of non-availability of local nationals able to carry out the duties of the position involved, cannot be seriously questioned.

Petitioners apparently also question the validity of the Implementing Rules and Regulations, specifically Section 6 (c), Rule XIV, Book I of the Implementing Rules, as imposing a condition not found in the Labor Code itself. Section 6 (c), Rule XIV, Book I of the Implementing Rules, provides as follows:

Section 6. Issuance of Employment Permit –– the Secretary of Labor may issue an employment permit to the applicant based on:

a) Compliance by the applicant and his employer with the requirements of Section 2 hereof;

b) Report of the Bureau Director as to the availability or non-availability of any person in the Philippines who is competent and willing to do the job for which the services of the applicant are desired.

(c) His assessment as to whether or not the employment of the applicant will redound to the national interest;

(d) Admissibility of the alien as certified by the Commission on Immigration and Deportation;

(e) The recommendation of the Board of Investments or other appropriate government agencies if the applicant will be employed in preferred areas of investments or in accordance with the imperative of economic development;

xxx xxx xxx

(Emphasis supplied)

Article 40 of the Labor Code reads as follows:

Art. 40. Employment per unit of non-resident aliens. –– Any alien seeking admission to the Philippines for employment purposes and any domestic or foreign employer who desires to engage an alien for employment in the Philippines shall obtain an employment permit from the Department of Labor.

The employment permit may be issued to a non-resident alien or to the applicant employer after a determination of the non-availability of a person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing at the time of application to perform the services for which the alien is desired.

For an enterprise registered in preferred areas of investments, said employment permit may be issued upon recommendation of the government agency charged with the supervision of said registered enterprise. (Emphasis supplied)

Petitioners apparently suggest that the Secretary of Labor is not authorized to take into account the question of whether or not employment of an alien applicant would "redound to the national interest" because Article 40 does not explicitly refer to such assessment. This argument (which seems impliedly to concede that the relationship of basketball coaching and the national interest is tenuous and unreal) is not persuasive. In the first place, the second paragraph of Article 40 says: "[t]he employment permit may be issued to a non-resident alien or to the applicant employer after a determination of the non-availability of a person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing at the time of application to perform the services for which the alien is desired." The permissive language employed in the Labor Code indicates that the authority granted involves the exercise of discretion on the part of the issuing authority. In the second place, Article 12 of the Labor Code sets forth a statement of objectives that the Secretary of Labor should, and indeed must, take into account in exercising his authority and jurisdiction granted by the Labor Code,

Art. 12. Statement of Objectives. –– It is the policy of the State:

a) To promote and maintain a state of full employment through improved manpower training, allocation and utilization;

xxx xxx xxx

c) To facilitate a free choice of available employment by persons seeking work in conformity with the national interest;

d) To facilitate and regulate the movement of workers in conformity with the national interest;

e) To regulate the employment of aliens, including the establishment of a registration and/or work permit system;

xxx xxx xx

Thus, we find petitioners' arguments on the above points of constitutional law too insubstantial to require further consideration.

Petitioners have very recently manifested to this Court that public respondent Secretary of Labor has reversed his earlier decision and has issued an Employment Permit to petitioner Cone. Petitioners seek to withdraw their Petition for Certiorari on the ground that it has become moot and academic.

While ordinarily this Court would dismiss a petition that clearly appears to have become moot and academic, the circumstances of this case and the nature of the questions raised by petitioners are such that we do not feel justified in leaving those questions unanswered. 4 Moreover, assuming that an alien employment permit has in fact been issued to petitioner Cone, the basis of the reversal by the Secretary of Labor of his earlier decision does not appear in the record. If such reversal is based on some view of constitutional law or labor law different from those here set out, then such employment permit, if one has been issued, would appear open to serious legal objections.

ACCORDINGLY, the Court Resolved to DISMISS the Petition for certiorari for lack of merit. Costs against petitioners.

Fernan, C.J., Bidin and Davide, Jr., JJ., concur.

Gutierrez, Jr., J., in the result.

DIGEST LAB LAW 1 SET 3

G.R. No. 93666 April 22, 1991GENERAL MILLING CORPORATION and EARLTIMOTHY CONEvs.HON. RUBEN D. TORRESFACTS:The National Capital Region of the Department of Labor andEmployment issued Alien Employment Permit in favor of petitioner Earl Timothy Cone, a United States citizen, as sportsconsultant and assistant coach for petitioner General MillingCorporation ("GMC").Petitioners GMC and Cone entered into a contract of employmentwhereby the latter undertook to coach GMC's basketball team.TheBoard of Special Inquiry of the Commission on Immigration andDeportation approved petitioner Cone's application for a change of admission status from temporary visitor to pre-arranged employee.Petitioner GMC requested renewal of petitioner Cone's alienemployment permit. GMC also requested that it be allowed toemploy Cone as full-fledged coach. The DOLE Regional Director granted the request. Alien Employment Permit valid until 25December 1990, was issued.Private respondent Basketball Coaches Association of thePhilippines ("BCAP") appealed the issuance of said alienemployment permit to the respondent Secretary of Labor whoissued a decision ordering cancellation of petitioner Cone'semployment permit on the ground that there was no showing thatthere is no person in the Philippines who is competent, able andwilling to perform the services required nor that the hiring of petitioner Cone would redound to the national interest.Petitioner GMC filed a Motion for Reconsideration and two (2)Supplemental Motions for Reconsideration but said Motions weredenied by Acting Secretary of Labor. Petitioners elevated the case before the Court on a Petition for Certiorari. Petitioner GMC'sclaim that hiring of a foreign coach is an employer's prerogativehas no legal basis at all. Under Article 40 of the Labor Code, anemployer seeking employment of an alien must first obtain anemployment permit from the Department of Labor. Petitioner GMC's right to choose whom to employ is, of course, limited bythe statutory requirement of an alien employment permit.ISSUE:Whether or not Section 6 (c), Rule XIV, Book I of the OmnibusRules Implementing the Labor Code is null and void as it is inviolation of the enabling law as the Labor Code does not empower respondent Secretary to determine if the employment of an alienwould redound to national interest.RULING:Section 6 (c), Rule XIV, Book I of the Implementing Rules, provides as follows:Section 6. Issuance of Employment Permit –– the Secretary of Labor may issue an employment permit to the applicant based on:a) Compliance by the applicant and his employer with therequirements of Section 2 hereof; b) Report of the Bureau Director as to the availability or non-availability of any person in the Philippines who is competent andwilling to do the job for which the services of the applicant aredesired.(c) His assessment as to whether or not the employment of theapplicant will redound to the national interest ;(d) Admissibility of the alien as certified by the Commission onImmigration and Deportation;(e) The recommendation of the Board of Investments or other appropriate government

agencies if the applicant will be employedin preferred areas of investments or in accordance with theimperative of economic development;Article 40 of the Labor Code reads as follows:Art. 40. Employment per unit of non-resident aliens. –– Any alienseeking admission to the Philippines for employment purposes andany domestic or foreign employer who desires to engage an alienfor employment in the Philippines shall obtain an employment permit from the Department of Labor.The employment permit may be issued to a non-resident alienor tothe applicant employer after a determination of the non-availabilityof a person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing atthe time of application to perform the services for which the alienis desired.For an enterprise registered in preferred areas of investments, saidemployment permit may be issued upon recommendation of thegovernment agency charged with the supervision of said registeredenterprise. (Emphasis supplied)Petitioners apparently suggest that the Secretary of Labor is notauthorized to take into account the question of whether or notemployment of an alien applicant would "redound to the nationalinterest" because Article 40 does not explicitly refer to suchassessment. This argument (which seems impliedly to concede thatthe relationship of basketball coaching and the national interest istenuous and unreal) is not persuasive. In the first place, the second paragraph of Article 40 says: "[t]he employment permitmaybeissued to a non-resident alien or to the applicant employer after adetermination of the non-availability of a person in the Philippineswho is competent, able and willing at the time of application to perform the services for which the alien is desired." The permissive language employed in the Labor Code indicates that theauthority granted involves the exercise of discretion on the part of the issuing authority. In the second place, Article 12 of the Labor Code sets forth a statement of objectives that the Secretary of Labor should, and indeed must, take into account in exercising hisauthority and jurisdiction granted by the Labor Code,Art. 12.Statement of Objectives. –– It is the policy of the State:a) To promote and maintain a state of full employment throughimproved manpower training, allocation and utilization;xxx xxx xxxc) To facilitate a free choice of available employment by personsseeking work in conformity with the national interest;d) To facilitate and regulate the movement of workers inconformity with the national interest;e) To regulate the employment of aliens, including theestablishment of a registration and/or work permit system;Thus, we find petitioners' arguments on the above points of constitutional law too insubstantial to require further consideration.Petitioners have very recently manifested to this Court that publicrespondent Secretary of Labor has reversed his earlier decision andhas issued an Employment Permit to petitioner Cone. Petitionersseek to withdraw their Petition for Certiorarion the ground that ithas become moot and academic.ACCORDINGLY, the Court Resolved to DISMISS the Petition for certiorarifor lack of merit

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